1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to fishing apparatus and in particular to a valved balloon fishing system.
2. Background of the Invention
Ever since man discovered that fish could be caught and eaten he has strived to develop better and more efficient methods to catch fish.
The fishing rod was invented as a means to cast the hook further out into the water so as to be able to attract bigger fish. The reel was added to the fishing rod as an improved fishing line handling device. Today, the combination of fishing rod and reel is the most common and widespread fishing apparatus in the world.
The fishing rod and reel combination suffers from a number of disadvantages.
One disadvantage is the distance the fisherman may cast the hook and sinker is limited by the strength and skill of the fisherman. Even the strongest and most skilled fisherman is incapable of casting the hook and sinker more than a few hundred feet.
Another disadvantage is that the hook depth (that is, the distance between the float and the hook) is generally limited to the length of the rod, due to casting difficulty when using a greater length. This becomes a significant drawback when the larger fish are located at a depth greater than the length of the rod.
Still another problem is that traditionally cast floats merely float in the water without any motion which would translate down the line to the hook to entice fish.
Another problem is that most floats are small and hard to see, especially at a distance, making it difficult to discern when a fish has struck the hook.
Another problem associated with cast fishing is the amount of work involved: the hook is cast, allowed to settle, and then reeled in so as to give the bait an "alive" look to trick fish into biting the hook. Once the hook is reeled in, the process is repeated. If the float is left floating in the water after the cast, the fisherman frequently spends his time carefully watching the float so, when it dips, he knows there's a fish nibbling on his bait. At the correct moment, he jerks on the fishing pole to firmly seat the hook in the fish's mouth, and then (hopefully) reels in the fish.
Still another problem is that sometimes a fish will feel the buoyancy of the float and (suspecting this is some kind of trap) spit out the hook and escape.
A number of different approaches have been tried to overcome the above six problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,531,418 was granted Fitzharris for a Jet Casting Arrow. The idea was to use a bow to propel an arrow containing a hook, sinker and float in its head. Using a bow, the fisherman would shoot the Jet Casting Arrow out over the water. Hopefully the arrow head would deploy the hook, float and sinker upon landing in the water, thereby placing the hook at a greater distance from the fisherman than had the hook been cast in the conventional method.
The distance the hook might be carried by the arrow is still limited by the strength and skill of the fisherman/archer. While the hook might be deployed at varying depths using the Jet Casting Arrow, the other four problems above remain unaddressed.
Waldmann was granted U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,399 for a Kite With Rod and Tackle Combination. A kite could be reeled out with a fishing line carried out by the kite. This method suffered from the drawback that without enough wind, the kite wouldn't fly. In addition, should the wind die down while the kite was flying, the kite would sink down to the water. Kites laying in water are difficult if not impossible to reel in without damaging the kite.